Tigers boss on the prowl for new blood as club struggles

Sheffield Tigers boss Dan Richmond is on the lookout for reinforcements as he attempts to improve the fortunes of his struggling SSE National League Two North side.

Tigers have won just once in the league this season and Richmond insists competition for places will contribute to improvements.

“I don’t know any Directo of Rugby who isn’t looking to strengthen the squad and that’s something I’ve been doing over the past three or four weeks,” said Richmond.

“We’ve got a couple of players potentially looking to come. Some boys have played a lot of rugby already this season and it’s about making sure there’s competition for places but it also allows players to share workloads over a 30-game season.

“It’s not a case of bringing in better than what we’ve already got, it’s a case of bringing in like-for-like, which allows us to share the workload. I’m looking to help keep everyone fresh.”

This weekend Sheffield host Harrogate (2pm)– a team already with five wins in the division.

Richmond described Harrogate as an offensive team, likely to attack with ball in hand from anywhere on the pitch and has challenged his side to put pressure on the opposition both in the tackle area but also defensively.

Despite scoring over 300 points, Harrogate has also leaked the same number of points and Richmond insists this is an area his team can exploit.

He said: “Knowing Harrogate, they’re a team that want to play from anywhere and run the ball from anywhere.

“So defensive is going to be important, discipline is going to be important. Against a team like Harrogate we need to enjoy having the ball and forcing them to defend for long periods of time.

“We’ve got to make sure we’re playing with discipline in the right areas that’s going to ask questions of their defence.

“At this level if you put players under enough pressure they often give away a penalty.”

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